J
Jeff Welker
Guest
This past weekend, the hot sun of Arizona shone brightly on “the” new force in competitive benchrest shooting - his name is Joe Pipola!
Many may not know Mr. Pipola. With his quiet and tranquil demeanor, Joe often flies under the radar at most competitions. He is primarily a listener and typically keeps his own counsel. Be advised, this period of serenity is over. Step aside Ocock; out of the way Bruno; pardon the interruption Mr. Berger; Joe Pipola (like a jungle cat) leapt from background to the front of the line – he is the new Southwest Regional LV & HV Champion and will be heretofore known as THE FORCE!
Saturday we shot the LV 100 in the morning and HV 100 in the afternoon. Temperatures ranged from 85° at 8:00 AM to 103° by 2:00 PM. Winds were light in the morning and got progressively gusty throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, the winds averaged 12 mph with gusts to 25 mph. There was little to no mirage on Saturday. Walt Berger edged out THE FORCE by .0030 to win the LV 100 with a .2328 agg.
As conditions changed Saturday afternoon, different shooters surged to the front. A former member of the California benchrest shooters mafia; Gene DeLoney was most consistent and won the yardage with a .2190 agg.
Sunday dawned with slightly (and I mean slightly) cooler conditions. When we began shooting is was 80° degrees with light winds at about 4 mph. By 2:00 PM we were getting mirage, the temperature had reached a balmy 97° and the winds were averaging 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph – plenty of switches and let ups to make things interesting. We started with the HV 200 and ended the day with the LV 200. This is when THE FORCE began to really assert himself and take control of the match by winning the HV 200 with a .2338 agg.
By the time we began the LV 200 Sunday afternoon, THE FORCE was in total control and won this yardage with a .2852 agg in challenging conditions. In the end, it really wasn’t close. THE FORCE walked away with the HV 200, LV 200, LV Grand and 2-Gun. THE FORCE won the 2-gun with a .2627 agg compared to Gary Ocock's .2855 agg in second place. Gene DeLoney spoiled THE FORCE's Sunday sweep by winning the HV Grand with a .2519 agg.
Sincere congratulations to Joe. No one has spent more time, powder, bullets, etc practicing at Ben Avery during the past 3 years than Joe. WAY TO GO JOE – I mean THE FORCE!
Photo of THE FORCE and Gene DeLoney below. Full results attached.
Many may not know Mr. Pipola. With his quiet and tranquil demeanor, Joe often flies under the radar at most competitions. He is primarily a listener and typically keeps his own counsel. Be advised, this period of serenity is over. Step aside Ocock; out of the way Bruno; pardon the interruption Mr. Berger; Joe Pipola (like a jungle cat) leapt from background to the front of the line – he is the new Southwest Regional LV & HV Champion and will be heretofore known as THE FORCE!
Saturday we shot the LV 100 in the morning and HV 100 in the afternoon. Temperatures ranged from 85° at 8:00 AM to 103° by 2:00 PM. Winds were light in the morning and got progressively gusty throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, the winds averaged 12 mph with gusts to 25 mph. There was little to no mirage on Saturday. Walt Berger edged out THE FORCE by .0030 to win the LV 100 with a .2328 agg.
As conditions changed Saturday afternoon, different shooters surged to the front. A former member of the California benchrest shooters mafia; Gene DeLoney was most consistent and won the yardage with a .2190 agg.
Sunday dawned with slightly (and I mean slightly) cooler conditions. When we began shooting is was 80° degrees with light winds at about 4 mph. By 2:00 PM we were getting mirage, the temperature had reached a balmy 97° and the winds were averaging 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph – plenty of switches and let ups to make things interesting. We started with the HV 200 and ended the day with the LV 200. This is when THE FORCE began to really assert himself and take control of the match by winning the HV 200 with a .2338 agg.
By the time we began the LV 200 Sunday afternoon, THE FORCE was in total control and won this yardage with a .2852 agg in challenging conditions. In the end, it really wasn’t close. THE FORCE walked away with the HV 200, LV 200, LV Grand and 2-Gun. THE FORCE won the 2-gun with a .2627 agg compared to Gary Ocock's .2855 agg in second place. Gene DeLoney spoiled THE FORCE's Sunday sweep by winning the HV Grand with a .2519 agg.
Sincere congratulations to Joe. No one has spent more time, powder, bullets, etc practicing at Ben Avery during the past 3 years than Joe. WAY TO GO JOE – I mean THE FORCE!
Photo of THE FORCE and Gene DeLoney below. Full results attached.
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